Bright-Elves first appeared in Thor #277 (Nov. 1978) and were created by Roy Thomas, John Buscema and Tom Palmer. None of the small crowd of Bright-Elves who appear in that issue are named.

Dark Elves first appeared in Thor #344 (June 1984) and were originally created by Walt Simonson. The only Dark Elf to appear in that first issue was Malekith the Accursed. Algrim the Strong / Kurse and Wormwood later appeared in Thor #347 (Sept. 1984), once again created by Walt Simonson. Grendell and Bitterhand appeared in Thor #377 (March 1987), and were created by Walt Simonson and Sal Buscema. Alflyse first appeared in Incredible Hercules #129 (Oct. 2009), and was created by Greg Pak, Fred Van Lente, and Reilly Brown.

The Dark Elves are ruled over by Malekith the Accursed, and the most powerful amongst their ranks was Algrim the Strong.[1] However, Algrim was betrayed by Malekith in a bid to kill Thor. Algrim was dropped into lava and though he survived, he was critically wounded. The Beyonder transformed Algrim into the monstrous Kurse,[2] who seemingly kills Malekith for the betrayal.[3] Years later, Malekith reveals that he survived, and he sets forth an ultimately unsuccessful plot for Hercules to kill Alflyse, the Dark Elf Queen of the Eastern Spires.[4]

The trio of Bitterhand, Wormwood, and Grendell serve Malekith loyally and have attempted to destroy Thor on several occasions, including once while Mjolnir was being reforged.[5]

The Bright-Elves first appeared in Thor when mortal cameraman Roger "Red" Norvell (who had acquired the powers of Thor) carries the goddess Sif away to "a world far distant in time and sub-space" from Asgard. Once there, the duo are soon greeted by a crowd of humanoids who introduce themselves as the Ljos-Alfar (or Bright-Elves) and welcome the outsiders to their home, Alfheim. The aggressive Red responds by claiming their land as his and knocks the entire welcoming party off their feet with his hammer. These Elves are somewhat shorter than Asgardians (like Sif) and have large pointed ears.[6]

The Light Elves first appear in Alpha Flight when Loki lies to an ill and delusional Northstar and claims Northstar is one of them. This prompts Northstar to journey to Alfheim to reside there and abandon the rest of Alpha Flight.[7]

A subspecies of the Light Elves called the Cat Elves are introduced when Northstar learns he has been deceived by Loki. These Elves are smaller than their brethren and ride winged cats as their steed.[8]

Another subspecies of the Light Elves called the Ice Elves were revealed when one of their palaces was wiped out by the Ano-Athox warlord Uthana Thoth. The Ice Elves reside in the frozen portion of Alfheim.[9]

During the Fear Itself storyline, the Smoke Elves debut where they are the servants of the Serpent. They created a Golem that attacked Iron Man and the Dwarves in Svartalfheim.[10] The Golem that the Smoke Elves created was defeated by Iron Man.[11] While Iron Man prepares to take the Asgardian weapons to his allies, Splitlip and his Dwarves are given the approval to have Iron Man dispose of the captive Smoke Elves. Iron Man then gives the Smoke Elves the choice of either being dealt with by the Dwarves or taking their leave. The Smoke Elves choose to take their leave.[12]

Malekith the Accursed of the Dark Elves appeared in "The Casket of Ancient Winters". During the events of "The Fall of Asgard", Black Panther had fought Dark Elf souls.

Faradei of the Light Elves appeared in "The Fall of Asgard" voiced by Troy Baker. He fights alongside Hawkeye and Black Panther against a pack of wolves.

The Dark Elves appear in the Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. episode "For Asgard". Malekith the Accursed leads the Dark Elves in a plot to take over Asgard where they ended up fighting Thor, Heimdall, the Warriors Three, and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. at the time when Odin was away on a peace mission.

Algrim of the Dark Elves appears in the animated film Thor: Tales of Asgard. He is seen as an advisor to Odin and his kind was driven to near-extinction by the Frost Giants.

The Dark Elves appear in the 2013 Marvel Studios film Thor: The Dark World, with Malekith portrayed by Christopher Eccleston and Algrim/Kurse portrayed by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. There, it is stated they existed before the Nine Realms in the primordial chaos. Their goal is to destroy the current universe and return existence back to that state. They were believed extinct after the Asgardians stopped an attempt to do that five thousand years ago, but unbeknownst to the Asgardians, Malekith and a number of warriors escaped and went into stasis until another attempt would be possible. For the film, David J. Peterson created a language for the Dark Elves called Shiväisith.